Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Home made extracts

Flavor extracts are a key ingredient in many desserts, especially
vanilla. Orange is another flavor that I find myself adding to most of
my recent recipes. Its just as easy to add zest but having an extract on
hand is convenient when you are out of fresh fruit or don't want to
taint the color of a cream frosting or white chocolate etc.

Pick a glass bottle that can hold a whole vanilla bean. Clean and
dry completely. Place vanilla beans in the bottle and cover completely
with vodka. Seal well and place in a cool, dark place in your kitchen.
Give it a shake every day or so for the first week.

Notes: Within 3 days you will begin to notice a light brown color
and the extract was strong enough to use within 2 weeks. A month would
be ideal but if you want to use it sooner start off with extra vanilla
beans. I used 4-5 beans in my current batch and add more vodka as I use
some of it. . You can use vanilla
beans in the extract for recipes as well. They will be super moist and
you can squeeze out the seeds easily.

Lemon/Orange Extract

1-2 - whole organic lemons or 1 orange

3/4 cup - Vodka

glass bottle with lid/cork

Wash and dry fruit thoroughly before peeling off the thin outer
layer. If any white pith remains, slice it off with a paring knife as
they tend to add bitterness. Fill the bottle with peels and cover
completely with vodka. Seal well and place in a cool, dark place in your
kitchen. Shake the bottle gently one a day for 2-3 days. Check for
readiness after a week or continue to steep longer.

Notes: Use organic fruit or fruit not treated with pesticides or
wax coating since we will be using just the peels here. I wanted the
extract to have a strong citrus flavor and used a high zest to vodka
ratio. Some recipes I saw online suggested straining the extract after a
month but I've had mine steeping for about 3 months now it had not
turned bitter on me. But do check on your batch and strain if needed
after you are satisfied with the flavor.

These extracts will immensely improve the quality of your baked goods.
The flavors are strong and provide a depth that can never be replicated
by store bought ones. Thanks to Akshayapaatram for the tutorial and photos